National Security Whistleblowers
Coalition
P.O. Box 20210
Alexandria, VA 22320
September
13, 2006
Honorable
Duncan Hunter, Chairman
House
Committee on Armed Services
U.S. House
of Representatives
2120
Rayburn House Office Building
Washington,
D.C. 20515
Re: Support House Substitute
for Ineffective Senate Amendment Which Will Not Protect National Security
Dear
Chairman Hunter:
The
undersigned organizations urge you to support House substitute, H. R. 1317/H.R.
5112, for ineffective and only cosmetic Senate Amendment, S. 494.
As you are
aware, the Senate has incorporated a whistleblower protection provision (S.494)
into the fiscal year 2007 defense authorization act. The Senate proposal does not properly protect national
security. It excludes key government
workers fighting the “war on terror” from any whistleblower protection
whatsoever. Additionally, the
protections it does offer are weak and have been incompetently administered by
a lack-luster merit systems process, which has often rewarded inefficiency.
However,
the House of Representatives has taken leadership on drafting and passing real whistleblower protections intended
to defend national security. See, H.R.
1317/H.R. 5112 (as reported in House Report No. 109-544). Over the past year the House Government
Reform Committee has conducted extensive hearings on the appropriate standards
necessary to protect those patriotic civil servants willing to expose
bureaucrats or politicians who are “weak” or incompetent on national-security
issues. Guided by their thorough and
in-depth study, the House Government Reform Committee, on a nearly unanimous
vote approved legislation that, unlike the Senate version, will adequately
protect national security.
Your
personal intervention is requested to ensure that the House Reform Committee’s
well-reasoned protections are adopted in conference, not the weak and
ineffective Senate provision. The
House leadership needs to insure that H.R. 1317/H.R.
5112 (as reported in House Report No.
109-544) is substituted for S. 494 during the final conference on the
2007 defense authorization act.
It should
now be clear to any knowledgeable observer that substantive whistleblower
protection will result in greater national security and citizen safety as well
as greater conservation and more effective use of public funds.
We would
appreciate any opportunity to meet with you, or a member of your staff, to
further discuss this letter.
We look
forward to your leadership in promoting national security. If you have any questions, please contact
Sibel Edmonds, Director, National Security Whistleblowers Coalition.
Respectfully,
Sibel D. Edmonds
Director-NSWBC
E-mail- sedmonds@nswbc.org
Fax-(703) 519-0699
Stephen
Kohn
Chairperson-National
Whistleblower Center
Michael
Ostrolenk
Director-Liberty
Coalition
Sandalio
Gonzalez
National
President-FHLEOA
Dr. Jeffrey
Fudin
President-VAWBC
Daniel
Hirsch
Board
Member-CFSO